


Writing My Wrongs

by orphan_account



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Boys In Love, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Merthur - Freeform, Not because of Arthur though, Soft Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), mentions of past bullying, mentions of past suicide attempt, singer merlin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:40:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25549849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Arthur comes home from uni, his sister insists they go out with their friends as a celebration where he see's someone he thought he'd never see again. At least now he has a chance to write his wrongs.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

As the plane touched down in London, Arthur, along with most of the passengers, sighed with relief. The entire flight was a disaster, first the plane they were originally supposed to board got stuck in Wales because of a storm so they had to wait another 2 and a half hours at the airport, than once they finally got on the plane, they had to wait another 20 minutes for the pilot who was off doing god knows what so in the end, they took off a total of 3 hours later than they were supposed to. To make things worse, there was a screaming baby at one end and chatty middle aged women in the other. Luckily, the baby only seemed to scream for an hour at a time and though most people were complaining to whoever would listen, Arthur couldn't find it in himself to be mad. The parents were young adults who looked exhausted themselves and it wasn't their fault, planes are very scary if you're an infant.

Arthur waited for the pilot to turn the seat belt sign off before standing up and retrieving his luggage from the overhead bin above his seat. He hadn't been in the states long enough to have many belongings but once he sold the stuff he did have, he only had a suitcase and a backpack full, which was mainly clothes and a few other items he had purchased.

The passengers on the plane all swarmed for the door, almost trampling on each other in a hurry to be the first ones out of the stuffy plane. Arthur waited in his seat until everyone else had left before pulling his phone out of his pocket and turning it off air plane mode while walking towards the airport. Once inside, he went through security again then found the closest chairs to slump down in and check his phone. It wasn't surprising to see 16 unread texts, all by Morgana or Gwen asking if he had landed yet or if the plane had crashed halfway through and he couldn't reply because he was dead.

Chuckling and shaking his head at his sister's antics, he decided to just tell her he landed safely and to expect him in about a half an hour. He was so engrossed in his phone, reading the messages from Gwen, he didn't even notice a presence sneaking up behind him until he felt someone flick his ear.

"Ow! What-" he turned around to see his sister standing over him, smirking at him as she lent on the back of his chair.

"What are you doing here?" He shook his head and stood up, rounding the chair to wrap her in a hug. He and his Sister normally didn't share affection but it had been almost 3 years since he had seen her in person.

"I thought i would pick you up, then we can chat about the surprise i have waiting at home for you" She said before walking over and picking up his backpack, thrusting it into his hands than picking up his suitcase and heading off towards the car without a second word.

"Wait" Arthur ran after her. "What surprise?"

"it wouldn't be a surprise if i told you now, would it" She grinned.

Arthur rolled his eyes and followed her to the car, putting his stuff in the boot before getting in the passenger seat.

* * *

An hour and an agonising car ride - filled with chatter about things he had missed in London - later, they finally arrived at their childhood home. The house was still the same as Arthur remembered, still the same rich manor in a snobby gated community in a posh area. They were only able to afford it because his Father was the head of Pendragon industries and got paid approximately 70 grand a year, more on leap years.

Parking in the driveway, Arthur noticed unusual cars parked on the street but he figured it was part of his surprise so he said nothing about it, instead retrieving his things from the boot and following Morgana inside. As soon as the door opened, Arthur was greeted with the same cold air that came with being a Pendragon. Their family didn't get along too well, they have their Father to thank for that.

He wasn't even able to put his things in his room before his Sister was beckoning him towards their large dining area behind large white doors. Though confused to what his 'surprise' could be, he was excited. She grinned at him before pushing the two large doors open, revealing something he hadn't expected. All of his friends from high school, along with his Father, stood behind the doors cheering at him like he was gone for a century.

"Arthur!" His father said, smiling wider than ever and surging forward to pull him into a hug. It was a little strange, he hadn't really been hugged by his Father before and it felt a little claustrophobic. 

Lucky for him, his Father soon pulled away, letting Arthur greet all of his friends. First was Gwen, who he had been friends since he was little. Though she was more Morgana's friend than his, she was still there for him during tough times and vice versa. Second was Leon, they hadn't been friends for as long as he and Gwen, they still had their fair share of shenanigans and memories. Third was Lancelot, they had been friends since their third year of primary school and they too had many memories together. Then was Gwaine, he couldn't remember how or when they became friends, Gwaine had just kind of pushed his way into Arthur's life but he was a good guy and fun to be around. Lastly, there was Percival. Arthur and Percival had been friends since they were in nappies and though they parted ways during high school, they eventually drifted back together and became friends again. There was also Gwen's brother Elyan but they weren't really friends, still he greeted him with a friendly clap on the back.

"what is this?" Arthur said as he gestured to his friends.

"we just thought it would be fun to get together like the old days" Gwaine said, slinging an arm around Arthur's shoulders, careful not to spill the beer in his other hand. "which is why, we're going to Killi's later"

Killi's was a pub Arthur and his friends used to visit frequently, weather the reason was to get plastered until they couldn't remember their own names or just to visit there after school for their famous hamburgers. Almost all of their memories together had been at Killi's, the owner was basically a father to all of them.

"sounds like fun" Arthur grinned, walking over to sit at the large oval table. He was exhausted and though he would rather go to his room to sleep off the jetlag, he was excited to see his friends again so sitting down was the next best thing.

"so, how was the states. Meet any celebrities?" Gwaine teased as everyone joined him at the table.

Arthur laughed at the stereotype but shook his head. "No, though i did see Khloe Kardashian at an event"  
  
"And you didn't meet her?" Gwen gasped. "Arthur!, how could you pass up an opportunity to meet a Kardashian?"

Arthur shrugged in response. Morgana and Gwen used to watch Keeping Up With The Kardashian's as teens and as a result, so did Arthur. But he was never one to obsess over celebrities and if he did, they were Male celebrities.

"How was Uni, shag any blokes?" Gwaine grinned and shoved Arthur's arm, laughing at the blush that rose to his cheeks.

"No i didn't shag anyone, Gwaine. I was there for school, nothing else" Arthur said, and it was true. There were a few Men he was interested in but they either turned out to be straight or selfish so it never worked out.

They talked for ages about Arthur's uni, about the few friends he had made and what they were like, about the university campus and how it was exactly like it was in the movies and even about his professors. He told them how his favourite professor, Mr Micheal's, always had a jar of candy on his desk and would let you take a handful whenever. They talked so much about the past they didn't even realise the time until Morgana was ushering everyone out the door and towards their cars.

* * *

The bar was the same as it always was. The neon green sign above the door was faded and blinking and half the letters were cut off, but it was still the same. The air inside was the same as it had always been, stale and sweaty but it felt like home. The first thing Arthur noticed when they walked inside was the pounding music and the crowd near the stage singing along which was different, Killi's never had bands or singers, only radios and the occasional record. Then, after siting down and letting himself get lost in the music, he noticed the person singing was something unlike he had ever seen. His voice was raspy but soft at the same time, and it was powerful and he was able to hold high notes for a long amount of time. He also seemed to really enjoy singing for people, if the large smile on his face and the way he was jumping around on stage was anything to go by.

Looking further, Arthur realised the man on stage looked familiar. He knew that man, he just couldn't put a finger on it, it was like some distant memory right on the tip of his tongue. He wracked his brain, thinking of childhood friends, people from school, people in the neighbourhoods or streets but he just couldn't place him.

He didn't have any further time to ponder the thought though because a voice was heard and suddenly the whole table erupted into cheers. 

"Arthur!" Killi, the owner grinned as he set down a pint of beer on their table. "welcome back, how was uni?"  
  
"You know, classes, chicks and booze" Arthur shrugged, though the chicks part wasn't quite true, he didn't exactly swing that way.

KIlli chuckled and walked off, coming back a moment later with another pint and setting it in front of Arthur, telling him it's a welcome home gift then promptly walking off before he could argue.

The group soon erupted into chatter, most were having two conversations at time. Morgana and Gwen seemed to be talking about a new soap opera character, Gwaine and Percival seemed to be talking about football while Lancelot, Leon and Elyan were talking about three different things at once. Leaving Arthur as the odd one out, not that he minded, he was still exhausted.

He looked back towards the stage to see the man still jumping around on stage with a big smile on his face, occasionally going over to his band mates and singing with them before floating towards the crowd again. Whoever this man was, the people seemed to know and enjoy him. Arthur felt a smile creep onto his face as he watched the Man, he looked so free and happy that something warm erupted in his chest and he couldn't help but smile with him.

Soon after, the music softened and the song came to an end. The crowd erupted into cheers, clapping even after the band packed up their equipment and headed off stage. Arthur's eyes followed the black mop of hair as it weaved through the crowds, around the tables and headed in their direction. He quickly sat up in his stool and looked over to his friends who hadn't seemed to notice, was he the only one freaking out here?

As the man got closer, his face became clearer and Arthur's heart sped up when it finally clicked who it was. It was Merlin Emrys, the boy he used to notoriously bully all though high school up until he left a year before graduation. There was no real reason for bullying Merlin of all people, Arthur was just jealous of his relationship with his Mother and his ability to be carefree and happy all the time so he made it his personal mission to make him miserable. 

"Merlin!" Gwaine grinned as the boy finally came to their table. Arthur swallowed thickly as his eyes trailed over his lithe frame from his black boots to his shaggy hair. He had grown up a lot since high school, his features seemed to frame his face better now and though his body was still as skinny as ever, he seemed to have grown some muscle which could be seem by his insanely tight jeans.

Arthur watched as Merlin's eyes darted around the group, nodding his hello's to them until their eyes finally met. The smile instantly dropped from his face and his eyes widened, he looked terrified and it made Arthur's heart clench. He regretted every day he bullied Merlin, he wished he could take things back and just be friends with him like he wanted all along.

"Arthur" Merlin swallowed thickly and _god_ , that Irish accent was going to be the death of him. He loved it in high school and he loves it now

"Merlin" Arthur parroted. His heart was pounding against his chest, he couldn't believe this was happening. "uh, you looked good up there" He gestured to the stage, fully aware of everyone's eyes on him.

Merlin's eyes darted back to his friends before settling back on him, nodding almost timidly. "t-thanks, i'm gonna go" He said before dashing off before Arthur could get another word in.

He sighed and turned back to his friends, looking at the almost knowing smirks on their faces. It was then he realised Morgana had planned this on purpose, why, Arthur had no idea.   
  
"since when was Merlin back in London?" Arthur ran a hand through his hair.

"He went back home to Ireland for 2 years then came back last year to start the band with his friends." Morgana informed him. 

"God" Arthur sighed. "why did i have to be such an arse back then, he looked like a dear in headlights when he saw me"

Morgana followed Arthur's gaze towards the bar and watched as Merlin sat quietly on a stool, stirring his drink with the straw and looking utterly miserable. She sighed and turned back to him, reaching forward to cover his hands in her own.

"you need to talk to him, make thing's right" Morgana said softly. Arthur nodded and looked over at Merlin again, squeezing his eyes shut before he slipped from her grasp and walked towards the bar.

"Hey" Arthur approached. Merlin instantly froze and looked up at him with wide eyes, his hands shaking slightly on his lap. Arthur did his best to ignore the reaction and slid in the seat across from him, ordering a drink and watching the bartender as he made it.

"What are you doing here, Arthur" Merlin sighed.

Arthur turned to look back at him, looking into his icy blue eyes and suppressing a shiver at the intense gaze. "i wanted to make thing's right. I was an ass back in the day and you didn't deserve it, i'm sorry"  
  
Merlin was looking at him like he had grown two heads, his eyes uncharacteristically wide and Arthur could practically see the cogs turning in his head. It seemed to take a while to find the right words, Arthur was half down with his drink before he spoke up again.

"Well that's great that you're sorry, but it still doesn't fix it does it?" 

"No, it doesn't and there isn't anything i can say to tell you just how sorry i am. I was just so jealous of you for being so damn happy all the time i wanted to make you miserable like i was, that wasn't okay and i realised that when you left"

Merlin looked like he was doing to deck Arthur if he spoke again, so he offered him a small smile and waited until he spoke again. "you know, you weren't the only person who was bullying me at the time" 

Arthur swallowed thickly as he tried to think of something he could say. He knew his friends were picking on him too, even if he told them to stop, they thought it was funny so they kept doing it. 

"In fact, your friend Cendric seemed pretty adamant on making me kill myself" Merlin chuckled almost darkly. "he almost did too, if they hadn't have found me in time"

"What?" Arthur breathed out. "you- because of me?"

"No Arthur, not everything is about you. There were other reasons too but i guess those didn't really matter now did they?" Merlin said and made a move to stand up but Arthur reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Please, let me make it up to you. Let me buy you a drink or we can go somewhere, please i'll do anything" Arthur pleaded. He was being so vulnerable but he didn't care, Merlin deserved the world and he would do anything to make him happy again.

Merlin seemed to think about it for a moment and Arthur saw all of the emotions go through his head before running a hand through his hair, sighing and wrenching his grip. "Fine, we can go for coffee or something tomorrow. Get my number off Gwen, goodnight Arthur" 

And with that, Merlin walked out of the pub without a second glance. Arthur scrubbed both of his hands over his face and sighed, he had really fucked up hadn't he?.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur woke with a start when he heard a crash downstairs, followed by a string of curses and giggles. He sighed and ran a hand down his face, asking himself why in the world he didn't just stay at a hotel. He turned on his stomach and buried his face into the pillow to try and get some more sleep but just as he was about to doze off, he heard what sounded like stilettos stomping closer and closer until there was a knock at the door, followed by his sister's voice.

"Arthur, get your arse up!" She said and turned around, her heels clamping against the wooden floors softening until all he could hear was stomping downstairs.

It was clear that he wasn't going to get any more sleep so with a heavy sigh, he untangled himself from the cocoon of blankets and slid out of bed. He shuddered as his bare feet touched the cool floor and hobbled his way over to his dresser to put socks on before his feet froze. With his feet now toasty, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he made his way downstairs where everyone was downstairs. Leon, Lancelot, Elyan and Gwen went home after dinner the night before so it was only he, Gwaine, Percival, Morgana left in the house, as well as Uther but he had his own living area at the other end of the house.

The smell of freshly cooked french toast hit his senses and his stomach automatically rumbled. He stood at the bottom of the steps, looking over at his friends as they all stood in the kitchen and made dinner like a family. He shook his head fondly and made his way over to the kitchen, swiping a piece of Morgana's bread as he got a plate and got his own food.

"morning Princess, sleep well?" Gwaine grinned as he took in Arthur's sleep tousled hair which was probably sticking up in all directions. Arthur glared in response, slumping down in a chair and munching into his toast.

"oh don't be a grouch, little brother" Morgana smirked as she sat down next to him, nibbling her toast and sipping her tea in a graceful manner while the others were eating like pigs.

"That makes no sense, i'm older than you" Arthur said and rolled his eyes at the dramatic huff and hair flick his sister gave him in response.

"So Arthur" Gwaine spoke from across the table, shoving a fork full of eggs into his mouth. "you're seeing Merlin today right? or did you forget." Arthur in fact, hadn't forgot about seeing Merlin again. He had spent half the night tossing and turning, trying to figure out what he was going to say to Merlin that would somehow make up for years of bullying. There wasn't even an excuse for what he did or why he done it, he was just a jealous teenage boy who thought making fun of people would please their friends. He knew Merlin wouldn't be too thrilled to see him again and he needed to keep it short and to the point. "No, i did not forget" Arthur mumbled as he shoved the toast around his plate with a fork. "Alright, what's wrong?" Morgana sighed. Arthur sighed and picked up his piece of toast, shoving it into his mouth and pointedly ignoring the eyes on him as a futile attempt to dodge the question. It didn't seem to work though because Morgana continued to stare at him until he finally sighed in defeat. "i guess i'm just nervous to see Merlin again, i mean i made his life miserable and now we're going for coffee?" "Arthur, i know you want to make things right but you caused Merlin a lot of emotional pain. You need to consider the fact Merlin might not forgive you and there will always be tension between you both" Morgana said softly. Arthur knew there was a chance Merlin might not forgive him and would never know how much Arthur regrets what he did but he should atleast get a chance. Now, he had that chance, and he wasn't going to fuck it up. *** The Cafe wasn't too big, only a few tables on each side near the windows and a small reading area, but it still had a homely feel to it. There was soft music playing in the background, plants on every table and on the counter and the air smelt like freshly baked muffins. Arthur instantly spotted Merlin at one of the tables in the back corner, working on what looked like a sketch with headphones in. His heart instantly did a flip and instead of pondering what that could mean, he decided to order a coffee to stall. It only worked for a short time while his coffee was being made, then he had to man up and face Merlin. He slowly walked over, heart beating furiously in his chest while seeing how long it took for Merlin to notice him. When he got to the table, Merlin still hadn't looked up so Arthur took the opportunity to look at what he was drawing. It appeared to be a really well sketched sunflower in a field of wilted wildflowers, Arthur wasn't really sure if it meant anything but it was beautiful nonetheless. Apparently Merlin could tell Arthur was standing over him because he glanced up and smiled stiffly before looking back down at his sketchbook, absent mindedly gesturing for him to sit down. They sat in silence for a few moments while Merlin finished up the last bit of his flower before he pushed the sketchbook aside and looked up at Arthur with an odd expression. "what are you listening too?" Arthur finally asked, growing tired of the silence. Merlin glanced up at him and Arthur could see he was deciding weather or not to tell him but he eventually sighed and handed Arthur one side of the earphones, leaning forward over the table so he could still hear too. "it's a song i'm working on, i'm playing it in a few days at Gilli's i just need to work on a few lyrics" Arthur nodded and listened as Merlin's soft voice flowed through his ears. His voice truly was astounding, flowing smoothly from raspy to soft and strong to bold depending on the lyric. It was almost amusing to Arthur when he thought back to the scrawny, nerdy kid Merlin used to be with Glasses that were too big for his face and crooked teeth. Never in a million years would he have guessed someone like that would have a voice as powerful as Merlin's but then again, he did always surprise him.

"it's really good" Arthur said as he handed the earphone back, smiling at the way Merlin's cheeks flushed at his words and he ducked his head.

"thanks" Merlin said and slid the sketchbook aside, crossing his arms over the table and looking out the window as an awkward silence fell over them. 

Arthur was fascinated with the look of total concentration in Merlin's eyes as he watched the traffic outside the cafe window. It was early afternoon so people were going home for lunch, causing traffic to build at the lights next to the cafe which Merlin was clearly fascinated with. The afternoon sunlight shone through the window onto the right side of his face, making his icy blue eyes twinkle. Arthur was overcome with a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach he had never felt before, he was aware that his heart had sped up and he briefly thought he was having heart palpitations but that seemed absurd.

The feeling only increased when Merlin shifted his gaze back over to him, smiling almost shyly at Arthur's intense glare. The feeling eventually went away and dissolved into a thought at the back of his mind.

"So" Merlin said as he lifted his hands onto the table, fidgeting with the rings on his fingers which Arthur figured was something he did when he was nervous. "you wanted to talk?"

Arthur coughed, suddenly finding his throat dry and tight. "Right, well i stayed up almost all night trying to think of something to say that would tell you why i was such an ass back in high school but there isn't anything to say. The truth is, there was no reason to hurt you of all people, you were just the quiet kid and i guess an easy target"

"Arthur" Merlin sighed. "let me just clear this up right now. It was never you that hurt me, it was your friends. I could see in your eyes every time you and your friends came up to me that you really didn't want to be there, you just didn't want to loose your friends and i understood that"

Arthur was relieved to hear that he didn't hurt Merlin as much as his friends did, but the thought of someone as sweet as Merlin being hurt at all made his heart clench uncomfortably.

"still, i hurt you and i really am sorry. Is there anything i can do to make up for it?" 

Merlin seemed almost amused by the situation which completely baffled Arthur. He didn't understand why he was being so cool about it, he made Merlin's life a living hell.

"How about you and your friends come to Gilli's on Friday and i'll buy you a drink or something" Merlin offered, seeming almost too shy to even ask. Arthur always liked that about him, liked the way his cheeks heated up at a compliment or the way he barely said a word all day and how his eyes would widen when a teacher called him on a question.

"yeah, alright." Arthur nodded. He was a little dissapointed when Merlin smiled at him before gathering his stuff and standing up but he reminded himself he was going to see him in a few days. God, he feels like a lovesick teenager.


End file.
